DefenseNews

Former University of Michigan researcher accused of hiding Chinese military drone ties

Federal authorities say a Chinese national who worked as a research scholar at the University of Michigan lied about his work on drones in the People’s Republic of China. According to a criminal complaint filed last week, Chuan Wang allegedly denied involvement in the production of military products during an interview with customs officers in 2023 when in reality he ran a company that designs…
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DefenseNews

Near Russian border, NATO grapples with ground robots in combat

RIGA, Latvia — Exercising in Latvia’s dense pine and birch forests this week, local troops found themselves in an unfair fight against a new enemy: unmanned ground vehicles. As NATO tries to keep pace with fast-changing drone warfare, the alliance used Latvia’s Crystal Arrow exercise to test unmanned ground combat, equipping opposing forces with wheeled robots. The systems gave the red team…
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DefenseNews

Japan fires first-ever missiles from Philippine soil

LAOAG, Philippines — A Japanese anti-ship missile smashed into and sunk a decommissioned Philippine naval vessel afloat in the South China Sea, headlining a culminating event of Exercise Balikatan 2026. This missile firing of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s Type 88 surface-to-ship system from sand dunes near Laoag in northwest Luzon on May 6 was significant for several reasons. Firstly…
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DefenseNews

Austrian jets intercept US military planes two days in a row

VIENNA — Austrian Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets scrambled two days in a row to intercept U.S. military aircraft, the government said. The interceptions took place on May 10 and 11 and were related to modified PC-12 turboprop aircraft that the U.S. military uses primarily for signals intelligence and scouting operations. The U.S. designation for the aircraft is U-28. Contrary to initial…
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